Is Kodi legal, or illegal to use? Is Kodi safe to use?

Kodi media player has become the go-to application for people who like to watch streaming video on the web. Some Kodi addons even allow you to stream cable TV for free. But is Kodi legal, or illegal to use? We hope to shed some light on the question in this article.

Disclaimer: This guide is intended to help readers access content they already have purchased the rights to access, but are for whatever reason unable to access either temporarily, or permanently. Flixed.io does not support software piracy, and bears no responsibility for what you decide to do with the contents of this article. Furthermore, please note that Flixed.io in no way hosts, develops, or produces any of the software mentioned within this article. For more information, please see our full disclaimer here.

Attempts at Cracking Down on People Who Host Streams

The corporations that own copyrights to popular entertainment content obviously have a lot to lose if anyone can access their content for free. That’s probably why there’s a lot of pressure to create new, stricter laws to regulate streaming content.

In the United States, a bill called S. 978 attempted to make the act of streaming copyrighted content a felony offense. S. 978 died back in 2011 after getting reported to committee, though.

In September of 2016, the European Court of Justice ruled that posting links to illegal content is against the law. The law could theoretically affect the makers of Kodi addons if they live in the EU. Many Kodi addons are just big collections of links to sites that contain unlicensed content.

Here’s What Happens If You Get Caught Streaming or Downloading Pirated Content

In the US the Motion Pictures Association of America (MPAA), the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and some ISPs keep track of individuals that download and share pirated content. Sometimes the RIAA and the MPAA hire copyright lawyers (aka “copyright trolls”) to go after individuals and demand payment in the form of hefty out-of-court settlements.

Typically, copyright trolls threaten to sue unless the individual who has received the letter agrees to pay the settlement. Dragging streamers into court isn’t a profitable business model, though. That’s why some copyright trolls never follow through on their threats. However, some file sharers do wind up getting sued.

If you decide to ignore a copyright troll and then end up getting served with a lawsuit, make sure you show up in court. If you don’t go, the lawyers automatically win.

Kodi’s Attempt to Distance Itself From Pirates

In April of 2014, the makers of Kodi spoke out against people who make money by selling addons that link to copyrighted material.

The makers of Kodi clearly want nothing to do with the people that link to unlicensed content. So if you are concerned about breaking copyright laws, you can always choose to limit yourself to installing addons from squeaky clean Kodi-approved software repositories.

What Is a Software Repository?

A Kodi repository is a storage location for Kodi addons. Kodi fans have created loads of free Kodi addons that add functionality to the basic player. To install an addon, all you have to do is connect to its software repository, find the addon and select “enable.”

Some repositories contain addons that help Kodi users find unlicensed and pirated content. Kodi has created a repository blacklist to help Kodi fans avoid these types of addons and repositories. If you want to make absolutely sure that you’re not infringing copyright law, steer clear of the addons and repositories listed here.

Should All Digital Content Be Free?

According to a recent study entitled Copyright enforcement online: policies and mechanisms, people living in countries that joined the European Union in 2004 are more likely to admit to software pirating.

The study found that streamers living in Malta and other Southern European and Eastern European countries believe that copyright law protects the rich and oppresses the poor. That could be why many pirated streams originate from that part of the world.

Young, Educated Men Are More Likely to Pirate Content

Studies indicate that future generations will be more comfortable with sharing and viewing copyrighted content. In both Europe and the US, young people and people with a high level of education were more comfortable with downloading and viewing copyrighted content compared to the general population.

Will Kodi Continue to Remain Legal?

Probably. Decisions like this one are chilling, for sure. But a coordinated crackdown would probably affect addon creators before it would affect the people who watch through them.Streaming is growing in popularity, so most politicians generally don’t want to try to help push through stricter streaming laws that affect the general public.

Streaming is growing in popularity, so most politicians generally don’t want to try to help push through stricter streaming laws that affect the general public.

Are There Any Kodi Addons That Are Straight Up Illegal?

Kodi addons that allow you to download torrent files could theoretically get you sued. Be careful if you live in a country that has laws against downloading pirated content. But as long as the addon only streams content and doesn’t download it, you won’t get in trouble for using it.

Here are a few Kodi addons that can download pirated torrent files:

Torrenter

Pulsar

KMediaTorrent

Quasar

YATP

None of the above addons are illegal in-and-of-themselves. However, if you use them to download copyrighted content you might just attract the attention of a copyright troll.